Australian mayor threatens to sue OpenAI over ChatGPT ‘false claims’: Report
A regional Australian mayor has threatened to sue OpenAI, the creative company behind the hugely popular ChatGPT, if it fails to correct false allegations of generative artificial intelligence for bribery that has him in jail. This potential lawsuit – if it moves forward – would mark the first defamation case against OpenAI.
Brian Hood, who was elected mayor of Hepburn Shire in November last year, has expressed concern about his reputation after ChatGPT falsely suggested he was involved in a foreign bribery scandal, according to a recent report by Reuters.
Hood’s lawyers have already sent a “letter of concern” to OpenAI, asking them to correct the incorrect information. The latter, posted on March 21, asks OpenAI to fix the problem or face possible legal action, and has given the company 28 days to do so. However, OpenAI has yet to respond to Hood’s lawyers.
If the lawsuit goes through, it would be the first time a generative AI has sued for defamation and misrepresenting its users.
James Naughton, a partner at Hood law firm Gordon Legal, said: “It would be a potentially significant moment in that it applies this defamation law to the new area of AI and publishing in the IT industry.” He added: “He is an elected official, his reputation is central to his role.”
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